Cancer affects everyone, plain and simple. As one of the most popularly researched diseases, experts and researchers from all over the globe are constantly working to understand more about this destructive disease and eventually beat it. While all types of cancer are problematic, some types rank higher than others in terms of number of cases and deadliness. One of these is colon or colorectal cancer (CRC). In 2014, there was an estimated 136,830 new cases of colon cancer. Additionally, last year, it was estimated that 50,310 Americans died from colorectal cancer. It is the fourth most common type of cancer in the United States and the second most deadly (National Cancer Institute). Because of this disease’s deadliness, there are many studies
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Through these experiments, they are hoping to develop a better idea of what physiologically causes colorectal cancer. By studying different physiological aspects, such as, estrogen levels in women, body mass index in different races of men, one study sought to figure out who is more likely to develop colon cancer. Other studies aim to understand what specific effects one’s diet has concerning colon cancer. One research group evaluated the correlation between high intakes of plant foods and fiber and people who developed colon cancer. Another study focused on antioxidant and DNA methylation-related nutrients and risk of distal colorectal cancer. While these specific researchers attempt to uncover what physiologically can lead to or even prevent colon cancer, other studies have a different approach in which they work to cure someone who already has the disease. With this approach, a study researched hormone replacement therapy in relation to survival in women diagnosed with colon cancer. While researchers attack this disease in many different ways, they are all simultaneously attempting to gain a better understanding of colon …show more content…
The specific antioxidant nutrients examined were vitamin C and E, beta-carotene, selenium and the DNA methylation-related nutrients were folate, vitamins B6 and B12. Leading to this research was the general belief that diet plays an important role in the development of colon cancer. Additionally, previous studies have found that decreased anti-oxidant consumption results in a higher distribution of free radicals that can be linked to CRC (Williams et al, 2010). Free radicals are very reactive molecules that can lead to tissue damage. The reason why they chose to examine these specific nutrients was because they have active antioxidant properties and protect the body against free radical
Through these experiments, they are hoping to develop a better idea of what physiologically causes colorectal cancer. By studying different physiological aspects, such as, estrogen levels in women, body mass index in different races of men, one study sought to figure out who is more likely to develop colon cancer. Other studies aim to understand what specific effects one’s diet has concerning colon cancer. One research group evaluated the correlation between high intakes of plant foods and fiber and people who developed colon cancer. Another study focused on antioxidant and DNA methylation-related nutrients and risk of distal colorectal cancer. While these specific researchers attempt to uncover what physiologically can lead to or even prevent colon cancer, other studies have a different approach in which they work to cure someone who already has the disease. With this approach, a study researched hormone replacement therapy in relation to survival in women diagnosed with colon cancer. While researchers attack this disease in many different ways, they are all simultaneously attempting to gain a better understanding of colon …show more content…
The specific antioxidant nutrients examined were vitamin C and E, beta-carotene, selenium and the DNA methylation-related nutrients were folate, vitamins B6 and B12. Leading to this research was the general belief that diet plays an important role in the development of colon cancer. Additionally, previous studies have found that decreased anti-oxidant consumption results in a higher distribution of free radicals that can be linked to CRC (Williams et al, 2010). Free radicals are very reactive molecules that can lead to tissue damage. The reason why they chose to examine these specific nutrients was because they have active antioxidant properties and protect the body against free radical